The City of Owen Sound is hoping to amend an agreement with the province to extend the Guelph Owen Sound Transportation (GOST) bus service by up to a year.
The intercommunity public transit service connects Owen Sound and Guelph with several stops in between including Chatsworth, Durham and Mount Forest.
The service was launched back in 2020 and nearly $2 million in funding secured through the Ontario Government’s Community Transportation Grant Program helped it remain operational, but the deadline to spend those funds arrives at the end of March 2025.
However, Owen Sound said it didn't expend its allocated funding because it generated more fare revenue than expected, creating an opportunity to utilize the remaining funds to extend the service.
The City has requested the province amend the original agreement to allow the funds to be spent beyond the March 31, 2025, a move it says could extend the service by up to a year.
According to the city, GOST provided over 12,000 unique rides in 2024.
